Arvest Names Gallery at Blue Lion

When UAFS acquired the 18,000-square-foot Second Street Live building in downtown Fort Smith in the summer of 2012, it got not just a new performance venue, but also a lovely gallery space for exhibiting student, faculty, and alumni art, as well as occasional traveling exhibits.

Now Arvest Bank has made a generous gift to name that gallery. “Arvest is very focused on economic development in Fort Smith and the River Valley,” says regional CEO Craig Rivaldo, a UAFS alumnus. “By partnering with the Blue Lion at UAFS Downtown, we can help bring art and entertainment to our area, which is vital for quality of place and economic growth.”

The new Arvest Gallery showcases student art to a significantly wider audience than on-campus exhibit spaces, as well as providing students the hands-on opportunity to learn about running such a gallery. Located just inside the main entrance, it can be enjoyed not only during scheduled exhibits, but also before and after performances at the venue.

Arvest has long been a valued partner to UAFS, giving to support not only the cultural arts as a major sponsor of the Season of Entertainment, but also economic development as the sponsor of the quarterly Fort Smith Regional Economic Outlook Report, published by the University’s College of Business.

Several other naming opportunities remain available at the Blue Lion facility. Contact the Foundation at (479) 788-7020 for further information.